It had been a year since Taehyung had been in Seoul. He'd mostly been out of the country, traveling around. Now he was back, getting off the plane and making sure he got his suitcase. It was good to be back, but it was nerve wrecking as well. Soon enough, he’d see those he’d left behind a year ago. He’d see fans and friends and family that had been so anxious to get him back. He bit his lip, lifting the suitcase off the counter and taking a deep breath. He turned towards the exit and as soon as he appeared, there were rows of fans screaming his name. He gulped, eyes wide. And then he saw Hoseok and Jimin, standing there.

Hoseok looked up, hearing fans scream and settled his eyes onto the orange-haired male. For a moment, there was burning anger, but it settled soon for something else. Tears. Jimin too had tears streaming down his face as Taehyung approached, head bowed.

“Hello, hyungs,” he whispered softly, releasing the suitcase. Jimin was the first to move, hugging Taehyung. “I missed you,” he said through sobs. Taehyung swallowed and wrapped his arms around the older male. In all honesty, he regretted it so much that he had left, but it had cleared his mind and shown where he belonged.

“I missed you too,” Taehyung said, releasing Jimin. Jimin stepped back, wiping tears from his eyes. Hoseok now approached, looking at Taehyung. “Welcome back,” he simply said, taking the suitcase and the three headed to the taxi Hoseok had arranged. Taehyung had a feeling that Hoseok was angry at him. He knew why, but he was too scared to confront the other male. He sighed, following quietly and getting into the taxi.

They were silent while in the car. Back at the dorm, Taehyung was scared. He swallowed and followed after Jimin and Hoseok. “Stay here,” Hoseok said and they both disappeared through a door, closing it.

Taehyung stayed, waiting. After half an hour, he opened the door and his eyes widened, seeing BTS and his family. A big banner hang from the ceiling, saying “welcome home”. He was touched, and tears started spilling as everyone surrounded him. A few days later, he’d settled into his old routine of practicing, singing and playing around. Everyone had been so happy to have him back, but Hoseok had remained quiet, often separating himself from the rest.

Eventually, Tae took Hoseok to his room.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, voice uncertain.

Hoseok raised a brow, looking at the orange haired male. He shrugged. “You’re back and all. And that’s great, honestly. But I still don’t see why you left? The members, all of them, were heartbroken. Especially Jimin. He didn’t eat for days and barely came out of his room. You have no idea the pain you put him through,” he said, voice breaking. He was angry and upset.

Taehyung swallowed and scratched the back of his head, looking down. “I had to. With all the hate from the fans… I mean, you’ve read it too, hyung. You’ve seen all the hate they put on twitter. You’ve seen all the messages, “he isn’t good enough”, “he should leave the group”. And so on. I had no choice, I need to leave and clear my mind,” he said softly.

“You could have at least told us where you were going. You’ve been silent for a year. Only a week ago did you message me, asking me if I wanted to pick you up. I should have refused.”

Those harsh words hurt Taehyung as he looked up at Hoseok. “It wasn’t only because of the hate,” he said, sitting down. “I started getting some kind of flashbacks. Before we woke up in the hospital, I was somewhere else. In some kind of big house, with you and the rest. And we were dead, kind of. The world at least thought we were. But we lived in that house. And you rebelled against this girl called Lilly. She was in charge. And I saw you being killed. That’s where those scars come from,” Tae whispered. “Same with Yoongi-hyung and Seokjin-hyung.”

Hoseok was confused, sitting down across from him and crossing his legs. “I’ve had those flashbacks too…” he said softly. “Do you think…? That really happened?”

“It explains a lot,” Tae said. “I mean. It explains why you have those scars.”

Hoseok nodded and sighed. “I’m glad you’re back, taetae. The group hasn’t been the same without you,” he said. “Especially Jimin…”

Taehyung looked at Hoseok and smiled. “I realised that, no matter where I’d go, I’d never feel as happy as being with you guys. It made me realise that we are family.”

Hoseok smiled and nodded, getting up. Jimin stormed in, looking at them as if he expected them to fight, but instead saw them hugging. He smiled and joined the hug, squeezing himself in between Hoseok and Taehyung.

And suddenly, the view changed into that off a grassy field, and all seven members were standing there, confused. They looked around. Hoseok’s eyes settled on a girl, standing a few metres away and he knew exactly who she was. He swallowed, fearing for what might happen as the rest turned to face Lilly as well. And they all recognised her and remembered what had happened over a year ago, how they’d woken up in this field to be brought to that village. And how some rebelled while others submitted.

“What do you want?” Hoseok asked, stepping forward with narrowed eyes.

Lilly swallowed, bowing her head. “I wanted to apologise,” she said softly.

Hoseok frowned, watching her. He was suspicious of her. He’d hoped he’d never see her again, that it had all been a dream. But then, he’d also known it wasn’t.

“Then do so and leave us alone,” Taehyung said, confidence in his voice as he stepped beside Hoseok and watched Lilly. Honestly, he was afraid, but he had enough of her.

Lilly looked up at them. “I am truly sorry for all the things that I have done and the pain that I have caused. That was not what I’d meant to do. And I know you’ll never forgive me. And that’s okay. I hope that you can move on with your life and leave this all behind. And know that, I will never come and bother again,” she said softly, sighing. She stepped back, the scenery changed into their dorm and Lilly was gone.

Hoseok was shaking from the ordeal, looking around with wary eyes but realising she was gone. He sighed, sitting down on the couch. At least, she’d leave them alone now. And that meant they could fully focus on the fans without having to be scared. They were all together now, and everything was going to be fine. Their schedules got packed and they returned to busy days with many practicing, performing and signing. A year after all that had happened, they were their old selves again. A year, and they'd finally forgotten about everything bad and focused on everything good. Focused on their future which was bright and lay ahead of them.

BTS was back.